Dennis Schroder Makes His No. 1 Goal Very Clear For This Season
The start of the 2022-23 NBA campaign is almost here, and the Los Angeles Lakers are just one week away from their season opener.
The Lakers are a tough team to evaluate as the season approaches.
While they have no shortage of talent on their roster, fit concerns are still a major storyline, as was the case last season.
Of course, the fit of Russell Westbrook was an issue throughout the 2021-22 season.
This time around, Westbrook’s fit is still a question mark, but perhaps an even bigger storyline to follow is how L.A.’s entire backcourt will go together.
The Lakers added Patrick Beverley and Dennis Schroder this offseason, and Kendrick Nunn is also back from injury after missing all of last season.
As a result, L.A.’s backcourt is very crowded.
Westbrook, Beverley, Schroder, and Nunn make up the four most notable guards in L.A.’s backcourt, and all of those players have traditionally been used as point guards throughout their careers (for the most part).
The team is obviously going to have to shuffle guys around as far as positions go, and it could be a bit chaotic.
The lineup decisions to come will be Darvin Ham’s, league sources say, but as it stands on Sept. 16: The Lakers head to training camp viewing Westbrook and Schroder as lead guards, PatBev as another 2-guard alongside Kendrick Nunn and Austin Reaves as a 3 behind LeBron James. https://t.co/sTQx9kE6ur
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) September 16, 2022
Schroder may very well be used as a point guard this season, but no matter what the Lakers ask him to do, it seems like the 29-year-old has one goal at the top of his list: to win.
Whatever It Takes
Schroder recently offered his thoughts on the upcoming season, and this is what he had to say.
“I’m going to make sure everything I can do, I’ll bring to the team to win ballgames,” Schroder said. “I mean, Coach Darvin [Ham] knows. He’s known me for 10 years now. He knows what I bring. And whatever it is, I’m going to do whatever to get a W and to finish the unfinished business.”
As Schroder mentioned, he and Ham have a lot of history.
The first-year head coach is a big fan of the veteran guard both as a person and player.
Darvin Ham mentioned the importance of his relationship with Dennis Schroder for five years in Atlanta (2013-18), and the bond they share as a result. He’s a big fan of Schroder as a person and player.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) October 10, 2022
Schroder certainly seems happy to be back with the Lakers after his first stint with the team ended awkwardly.
The former first-round pick spent the 2020-21 season with L.A. and averaged 15.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game while shooting 43.7 percent from the field and 33.5 percent from beyond the arc.
Last season, Schroder played for both the Boston Celtics and Houston Rockets.
He averaged 13.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per contest while knocking down 43.1 percent of his shots from the field and 34.4 percent of his shots from deep.
Schroder has a lot of playoff experience under his belt, but he is still looking for his first NBA title.
He’d surely love to accomplish that goal with the Lakers this season, and L.A. would love nothing more than to win another title after two straight disappointing campaigns.
The Lakers certainly have a lot of obstacles they’re going to have to overcome this season in order to become legitimate title threats, but it’s a great sign that Schroder is completely committed to helping the team win games.
L.A. will open its season on Oct. 18 against the Golden State Warriors.
That game will give the Lakers a chance to open their 2022-23 campaign with a statement victory, which could be exactly what the squad needs from a confidence perspective.